PumpBlogs 
Pump Use in Gulf Spill Cleanup
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010When I saw the first pictures of oil on the white sands of Gulf Shores, where I grew up vacationing and have since taken my children, tears literally came to my eyes. The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is troubling and sad on many levels. The long-term environmental effects are unknown, but the current goal is to remove as much oil from the water as possible.
Sometimes when bad things happen, a good pump can be a Godsend. Since the oil spill in the Gulf, Wilden® Pump & Engineering has seen an increase in orders for its air-operated, double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps, specifically for the Wilden Original™ Series Metal PX8 pumps. These pumps feature design and operational capabilities that are required for use in harsh environments.
“We’ve had two very large orders for the two-inch Wilden PX8 pumps. We’ve sold quite a few pumps from half-inch up through three-inch sizes, but I knew exactly where the two-inch PX8 pumps were headed…into the Gulf of Mexico for use in the cleanup efforts,” said Richard Bergeron, President of Houma Valve Service, Inc., Houma, La. Houma Valve Service, Inc., has been an authorized Wilden pump distributor since the 1970s.
“I figure they’re using the Wilden pumps for transfer of oil and wastewater or to skim the oil off the water into a barge, or transfer from a barge to a tank truck. They would also be used for diesel fuel transfer to help refuel the boats. I don’t know the exact applications they are using the Wilden pumps for, but I suspect that’s how they are being used.
“Fortunately, for our Parish, we’ve had some oil but haven’t had a significant amount as of yet. However, the wind could change tomorrow, and we could end up with a large portion of the oil in our area,” said Bergeron.
I hope that these pumps and others like them can help minimize the impact of the spill.
